Apparatus for air-moistening.



Patented Dec..14,1.909.

mrl

APPARATUS FOR AIR MOISTENING.

APPLICATION II-LED AUG. 17, 1901.

w. H. WEBB, w. G. BRETTELL & AI J. AMMSON.

w WM but for convenience, it will be mainly deused in plants for smelting, melting, or heatfuel in the furnace plant, at a regular or or cold, by warming or heating it; while when the outside atmosphere is hlgher than outside atmospheric air may be, it is always vUNI'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER HENRY WEBB, WILLIAM GEORGE BRETTELL, AND .AILEXANDER JOHN ADAMSON, 0F LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Original application filed July 3, i906, Serial NO. 324,658. Divided and this application filed August 17,

1907. Serial No. 389,000.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVAL'rnn HENRY lVnnn, \Vmmmr Gnoncn Bnn'rrnnn, and ALEX- ANDER Jon's ADAMSON, subjects of the King of England, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, 7 England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Air-h-loistening, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to apparatus ing of metals, ores, or similar substances;

scribed as applied to plants for smelting metallic ores, such for instance as iron ores, in smelting furnaces, for the extraction or manufacture of metallic iron therefrom.

The invention has for its object and effect, to provide means or apparatus for, supplying the air used in the combustion of the constant hydrometric condition and tem-' perature, which is relatively simple, small, and inexpensive.

. 'In carrying out processes of the kind referred to, having settled u on the tempera ture of air to be supplie to the furnace plant, say for example, air between 35 and 45 F ahr., the air supplied will be maintained at this temperature, when the outside atmosphere is below freezing point the desired temperature, and warm, as in summer, 1t 1s artificially cooled; and no matter what the hygrometric condition of the supplied fully, or approximately fully saturated, that is, fully, or approximately fully saturated atthe temperature at which it is to be, and will be delivered, by submitting itthe airto naked or actual contact with water of such'a temperature as will bring the incoming atmospheric air, irrespectively of its temperature and degree of humidity, to the required constant temperature of air to be supplied, and the desired constant degree of humidity; that is in a saturated or approximately saturated condition at this temperature. V

The word saturation is to be understood herein, and is employed in its wider meaning, that is, it is to be takento describe that state or degree of humidity of airl jected to the influence of any particular species of heatingor cooling liquid used, which it has either acted upon, or to which it has been subjected, it being well known that different liquids will produce ditferent degrees of humidity in air acted upon or influenced by them, at a given temperature.

The apparatus according to this invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the annexed drawing, by which the rendering of the supply of air at a constant temperature and humidity, is accomplished. This apparatus consists of a chamber a through which'the air is passed on its way to the furnace, it being forced through it by a fan or blower b.

The chamber in the case shown is supplied with water or liquid at the top, and below is provided with a collecting trough c. The liquid is supplied at the upper part of .the chamber a through a series of perforated pipes d, arranged side by side, so as to well distribute the liquid over its upper area; the liquid being supplied or distributed to the several pipes by boxes 0, in which they are fixed, and to which the liquid is supplied by a pipe 7", having the regulating taps or cocks g thereon. This chamber a is filled with objects or a medium which will give an extensive surface, and onto such objects or medium the liquid is so distributed, as to produce and present to the air, a large wetted surface, and in such a way that the air passing along, would be made to so come in contact with it, that it will be readily brought to the humidity and temperatnre required. That is, it will take up from the tempering-water or liquid, or give out to it, heat and moisture readily and rap idly. Themedium or objects by which this can be well accomplished, is by the use of hurdles a of wood, or brushwood, such as are used for sheep-folds, and the like, or faggots, with, which the chamber would be suitably filled'and packed; but any similar material or objects providing a suitable and extensive surface, with spaces or interstices for the flow of air past and over it may be employed. Onto these objects or surfacegiving medium, the liquid from the distribution pipes d will be sprayed or delivered, it being so delivered as to be effectually dis tributed over it, and so that the surfaces of obstructed passage, the object and eifect of which is to provide the best manner of brmgmg the air into intimate contactwith the water for giving it readily, and wlthin a small space, the required temperature, and

producing in it the required humidity (at the same time preventing the air as far as possible, taking up and carrying with it, moisture in suspension), so rendering a plant of a given-size of the highest efficiency, and of relatively small cost. At the outlet h of the chamber a, there are a series of battles i, such as louver boards, or checker-work, or surfaces of any suitable kind, which the air will strike in passing to 5 the outlet, and by means of which, it will be caused by the impact, to deposit any surplus moisture it may carry, that is, free moisture which is not properly absorbed in'a vaporous or combined form 111 1t.

3 The water or liquid heating and cooling apparatus aredesignated j and 7,2, respectively; and they each consist of a vessel having a surface, say a pipe surface, within it. This pipe surface in the caseshown, is in the form of a coil or coils Z and m, in the vessels j and k, respectively, through which the heating and cooling fluids are passed;

the coil Z of course, being connected up with a source of hot fluid, say hot water or steam,

40, and the coil m with a source of cold fluid,

such as liquid refrigerating machinery. Theliquid from these vessels j, 70, is taken by pipes 01, and 0 to an apparatus 1), to which the flow from one or other, or both of the 4s vessels is or'aie supplied, they being regulated 'by suitable taps or cocks; and from this apparatus the liquid is conveyed by the single pipe f, as hbove d&cribed to the liquiddistributing boxes or chambers e and pipes d. Sometimes warm liquid alone will e supplied to the chamber a and sometimes cold liquid alonewill be supplied to it, while sometimes, to obtain the required temperature,'especially if the temperature of the heating and cooling fluids in the coils Z, m, .fo r the time being, be fairly constanta mixture-of both the hot and cold liquids in the requisite proportions, will be supplied by the respective pipes 12, 0, t0 the apparatus p, which then becomes a mixing apparatus.

It is advantageous to employ a temperat ture of the air supply which is above freezmg-pornt, say, about 40 degrees Fahr., or approximately this temperature, as, by so doing, plain water may be employed as the;

heating or cooling fluid for giving the air the required temperature, and so obviating the use of brine or similar fluid which would be used, if temperatures materially below freezing-points were used, and" which, if used, would become weak or concentrated by a contact action of the air, entailing thereby expense and complications for rectifying its strength, and also avoiding the formation of snow or ice in the apparatus.

The water in the vessel Z may be heated up to, say, about 70 degrees Fahn, in most cases; while that in the vessel is may be kept about a few degrees above freezing-point.

t Then, according to the temperature of the water required to be su )plied to the chamber a, for bringing the air to be delivered to the furnace plant to the required humidity and temperature, water from the cool tank, or water from the warm tank, or from both in certain proportions, is drawn olf and supin an installation of a plant of the character herein set forth, the warming and cooling or tempering of the air may be effected by a surface heat interchanger, in lieu of the naked'liquid contact one herein more particularly specified; a suitable known mode or means of supplying moisture to the air at times when it is below the degree of humidity required, being provided. I

By using a thermometer, or otherwise, the temperature. of the air supplied from the chamber a can be observedyand' by regulating and controlling the supply of cooler and warmer .waters to the chamber, either by hand, or automatic regulation of any suit able kind, the air may be brought to a constant temperature, and 1n consequence of a constant degree of humidity, and supplied to the furnace plant in that condition. The

' .air from the chamber a will be delivered to the fur11ace by the air moving-or forcing engines or apparatus employed. According to the pressure of air required, and other circumstances and conditions of the application of the invention, will depend the point of the plant at which the said air forcing engines or apparatus will be placed, and the manner of supplying the air.

-lVhat is claimed is I 1. Inapparatus for attempering air and saturating it with moisture; a structure filled chamber, means for supplying artificially heated and cooled water at the same time to the'structures in the chamber, means for 130 heating and cooling the water, a fan for blowing air through the chamber, battles for removing the suspended moisture from the moisture saturated and attemp'ered air, and

means for removing the collected moisture,

ber, a tank for holding the liquid to be heated,

a coil contained in the heating tank for the passage of a heating medium, a tank for holding the liquid to be cooled, a coil contained in the cooling tank for the passage of a cooling medium, amixing chamber connected with the heating and cooling tanks and the structure filled chamber, a fan for blowing air through the structure filled chamberfandmeans for removing suspended moisture, in the form of spray, from the attempered and moisture saturated air.

3. The apparatus for attempering air and saturating it with moisture for furnace plant, comprising a chamber filled with wooden framework structures, a tank for holding the liquid to be heated, a coil contained in the heating tank for the passage of the heat ing medium, a tank for-holding the liquid to be cooled, a coil contained in the cooling tan for the passage of a cooling medium, a

mixing chamber connected with the heating and cooling tanks and the structure filled chamber, pipes for conveying the attempered water directly to the surface of the structures, a fan for blowing air through the chamber and structures, vertical or nearly vertical bafiles for removing the suspendedliquid, in the form of spray, from the attempered and moisture saturated air, a collecting trough for receiving from the bafiies the suspended liquid removedby the baflies, and a pump for returning the removed liquid to the said tanks.

In testimony whereofwe have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER HENRY WEBB. WILLIAM GEORGE BRETTELL. ALEXANDER JOHN ADAMSON. 

